Crash and Burn
by theplaywrite
Summary: After rescuing Kalin from another gang trying to use him as a weapon, Yusei, Jack and Crow have to help their friend battle his debilitating addiction and self-hate, in order to restore the person they lost all those years ago.
1. Introduction

**Crash and Burn**

Introduction

_Yusei POV_

It had been about six months since I or any of us had last heard from Kalin and we all were starting to get worried. I never wanted him to go on that trip with Grieger to South America in the first place. I wanted him to stay here with us, so I could make sure he got better. Plus, Jack, Crow and I really did want to mend our bonds and make up for lost time. But Kalin, after he had gotten out of the hospital following the Dark Signer's defeat, was very persistent to get away from the city and Satellite.

Jack was the first to agree to let him leave and Crow soon followed suit. After that, I had no choice but to let him go. Arguing with Kalin never did work for us. I knew that first hand. He promised to stay in contact. Kalin would message us every once and awhile, but overtime they became less and less frequent. It had gotten to the point that we had no idea where he actually was. It was like Kalin was trying to avoid us.

Part of me wanted to go out into the world and look for him, but with the WRGP fast approaching, there was no way any of us could start up a manhunt for him. If only we had tried to find him sooner. I could tell Jack and Crow were worried about our friend's whereabouts as well, although they did not like to show it. I guessed we were all hoping that Kalin would just suddenly turn up one day, back to the way he was before he lost his mind.

Before I knew it, the WRGP Preliminaries were in full swing. After registering our team, Jack, Crow and I wrote out a long email to Kalin, telling him about Team 5D's, the mess with Ghost and Iliaster, meeting Bruno and practically everything else that happened since we last heard from him. We invited or more so begged him to come back to Neo Domino City to watch us participate in the tournament. Crow joked about strapping a tracker onto Kalin the next time we saw him so we would never lose him again.

We got no response to that email.

The first day of the Preliminaries came and we were up against Team Unicorn. Before the duel started, I looked through the stands, hoping that Kalin would miraculously show up. Unfortunately, he was not there. After an intense battle, Jack, Akiza and I came out on top. I honestly thought Jean would have taken the duel by destroying my deck, but the spirit of a true duelist must have overtaken him, because he made the stupid move of attacking me.

Next up for us was Team Catastrophe, which I was nervous for because Crow was trying to turbo duel with a busted shoulder and this team may have been the reason why Andre, Jean, Akiza and even Crow crashed their duel runners. However, after Team Catastrophe lost automatically once their runner was destroyed, an army of Ghosts started riding through the city, wreaking havoc.

I, along with Jack, Officer Kaz, Sherry, Elsworth and eventually Vizor, battled against the army of Ghosts. Suddenly, a new enemy challenged me to a turbo duel and used his Meklord Emperor to take Stardust Dragon. I thought I was prepared for this, but the first time I tried Accel Synchro summoning, it failed. I beat myself up for not being able to preform an Accel Synchro summon. Luckily, after trying again and giving it my whole heart and Clear Mind, I was able to successfully Accel Synchro summon, busting out my newest ace monster, Shooting Start Dragon and beating Primo.

After the destruction of the Ghost army, the WRGP Preliminaries were postponed indefinitely. It was during this break when I received an email from Greiger about Jack of all things. Apparently, Grieger recently had a dream about Jack needing to find a new way of dueling or he would be destroyed by his own power. After flying to Nazca, Peru and meeting up with Greiger and his younger siblings, Jack went through a transformation of his own. He was tricked into fighting against the Crimson Devil and was able to achieved a new power, Burning Soul. This ability let him Synchro summon Red Nova Dragon, a monster that had abilities to counter the Meklord Emperors, similar to Shooting Star Dragon for me.

After the Crimson Devil was defeated and everyone was saved, Jack and I were about to make our leave when Greiger asked something of me. He asked me to say hi to Kalin for him. I was shocked. Did Grieger think Kalin was with us? I told Grieger that we had not heard from Kalin in months and that we had no idea where he even was. Grieger became very concerned, as were I and Jack after uncovering this revelation. Grieger told us that he had not seen or heard from Kalin in months as well. I could feel my stomach drop when he said this.

We never should have let him leave. Now nobody had a clue where Kalin was. I started to fear the worst and I could tell Jack was too.

After returning to Neo Domino City, we told Crow what we had learned, or what we had lacked to learn about Kalin's whereabouts. He immediately said we should start tracking him down, talk to anyone who might know where he could possibly be and figure out why he would disappear like this in the first place. But where would we even begin? Grieger was apparently the last person to have any sort of contact with Kalin. He could be anywhere in the world after all this time.

I went to Trudge and Mina. They were originally helping us figure out Bruno's true identity. I asked them if there was any way they could look Kalin up and see if he had made himself known somewhere. Unfortunately, just like Bruno's lost identity, they had nothing on Kalin, except the data from when he was first arrested all that time ago. I was at a complete loss.

Jack, Crow and I would sit around the garage for hours, trying to think of where Kalin could have gone. Of course, no one could really predict his actions. I started beating myself up again for letting him leave...for abandoning him. It was just like before. The three of us sitting around, wondering how Kalin was managing in prison or now out in the world...if he even was.

Sometime had past and Bruno reminded us that Iliaster was still out there and that we should be getting more information on how to defeat them. However, my mind had checked off of Iliaster since the whole debacle about not truly knowing where Kalin was came to light. Besides, Iliaster had been quiet ever since Primo attacked the city with his Ghost army and the WRGP was still not starting up again anytime soon.

One night, I decided to take a walk through the city by myself to clear my mind. After making my way through the more maintained, well-off areas of the city, I found myself walking through back alleyways beneath the skyscrapers, through rough parts of town with stragglers roaming around and through the known black market district. It reminded me of Satellite back when we were kids. A small part of me wanted to bust out my duel disk and start street dueling again. Boy would Kalin be proud to see that.

Kalin.

At one point, I wandered by three men who were trapped in a heated conversation. Something about having some of the 'goods' that they were transporting being stolen by a gang from another city. It did not really interest me much at first. Apprehending the black market was Jack's thing. As long as no one got hurt, I would stay out of it. That was until one of the men mentioned a duelist the gang used to attack them and how that duelist was able to pull of a Handless Combo.

I stopped in my tracks. Handless Combos were once a nightmare of mine and I knew of only one person in the world insane enough to use them. I stuck around until the conversation had ended. I saw the man who had mentioned the Handless Combo walk off on his own. Now was my chance. Hopefully what I thought I had overheard was the truth and not my desperate mind playing tricks on me.

I approached the older man and told him I wanted to know more about this duelist who pulled off a Handless Combo. At first, he would not tell me anything, but his talkative mouth began to betray him. He started telling me about how the gang cornered and attacked him. I wanted nothing to do with his exaggerated story. I cut him off, asking him if the duelist who pulled off the Handless Combos also used Infernity monsters. He nodded his head yes.

It was almost too good to be true. After going months without hearing from Kalin and now getting information about the use of a Handless Combo and Infernities somewhere was surreal. Could it really be him? Was destiny at work here? Would I really be able to find Kalin off of this information?

I demanded for the man to tell me where all of this took place. Where was the duelist who used Infernity monsters located? He told me that it happened in a small rundown city, maybe about an hour or two outside of Neo Domino. But there was a problem with that explanation. There was at least four or five smaller cities that I knew of that were outside of Domino. I told him to be more specific, but then he started laughing. It was all some joke to him.

Before I could get any more information out of this guy, he took off running. I tried to catch up with him, but he managed to disappear into the shadows. I could not get anything else I wanted out from him, but I suppose I had gotten just enough...hopefully.

There was a duelist in one of the smaller rundown cities, about an hour or two outside of Neo Domino City, who is part of a gang, used Infernities and a Handless Combo when dueling. If that did not sound like Kalin, then I did not know what would.

I ran back to the garage to tell Jack and Crow about what I had accidentally discovered. They both immediately questioned what I was telling them. It did sound way too good to be true. I assured them that it had to be true and that Kalin was closer to us than we originally thought. Bruno pulled up a map of the cities within a two hour driving distance from Neo Domino City. Five appeared on the map. We immediately eliminated a city that was actually a small farming town with no history of gangs, leaving four cities left to search.

Not wanting to waste anytime in finding Kalin, Jack, Crow and I decided to split up, each taking on our own city and looking for our lost friend there. Bruno reminded us that it would be safer going as a group, especially since we would most certainly be running into gangs who might not like us big city boys. However, that could not stop us. The three of us knew how gangs worked and how to take them down. It was almost like going on a solo scouting mission Kalin would occasionally send us on back in the day.

Realizing he could not sway us away from our plans, Bruno offered to visit the final, safest city for us. After seeing all the stress we had been going through, being concerned over where Kalin was and how much we had told him about Kalin, Bruno was eager to finally meet him. We let Trudge know what we were planning in case anything were to go seriously wrong. He too encouraged us to go at this a different way, but just like Bruno, his pleads were to no avail.

We wasted no time jumping on our runners and heading out to find Kalin. I swore to myself that we would not only find him, but also bring Kalin back and make sure that we would never lose him again.

* * *

_AN: This story is written as if the Crash Town Arc (originally set prior to the WRGP and directly after the Bonds Beyond Time movie) never happened. This Introduction chapter was created to set the time reference for the events in the story. Point of View for subsequent chapters will alter from Yusei's perspective, the third person or through other characters best suited for the chapter._

_**WARNING**: This story will contain cursing, drug use, violence, adult themes, etc. Warnings will be put at the beginning of each chapter to notify readers of sensitive content it may contain. It's rated M for a reason!_


	2. Warm Welcomes

**Chapter Warning(s): cursing, violence, abuse, mentions of drug use, etc.**

**Crash and Burn**

Chapter 1: Warm Welcomes

_Yusei POV_

_"Hey you!" The older man turned around. He had a sour look on his face after I called him out. Maybe if his appearance had not been so beaten up and tired, I would have been more careful. But right now, I just needed to get some information from him. "I overheard you say something about a duelist who was able to pull off a handless combo."_

_He became surprised. "You were listening in on our conversation!"_

_"Don't worry." I walked closer to him. "I won't tell anyone about your little transaction. Just tell me about this guy who was using handless combos against you."_

_The man smirked. "I'm not telling you shit, kid. Go on home to your mama."_

_"What was it that got stolen from you? Cocai-?" I enticed him to speak, but he cut me off._

_"You shut your fucking mouth!"_

_"Only if you tell me about this guy who used a handless combo." I demanded once again._

_The man shook his head. "That's really all you wanna know? Well, it's quite the story. My boys and I were walking down the street and a group of guys appeared out in front of us. At first, they didn't seem like the kind that would mess with us, but suddenly there were more of them behind us. That's when we realized our travel plans had been figured out. One of the newbies tried to make a run for it, but that only ended up signaling those bastards to enclose on us. T__hey had us backed up against a corner. I tried to coax my way out of it. I was always a smooth talker, especially with the ladies. Just ask my ex-wife."_

_Now I was getting mad. "What does this have anything to do with what I want to know? This guy who used the handless combo, did he use Infernity monsters?"_

_After__ seeing the out-of-character anger radiating off of me, th__e man nodded his head 'yes' in reply. I was growing sick of people not getting to the damn point. Iliaster! "I was just about to get there. Once we were cornered, a bunch of the guys took out their duel disks and challenged us. The newbie who tried to run was forced to go up against S__hinigami."_

_"Shinigami?"_

_"From what I remember hearing, 'Infernity' was in at least one of the monster's names he used. The duel didn't last that long to get a whole deck profile."_

_It had to be Kalin! Who else in the world used a deck like that? S__hinigami? After all this wondering and __worrying__, could this duelist really be him? Could destiny be at play here? Imagine if I had not gone for a walk. Was our luck really turning around so suddenly like this? It was so surreal. So unreal. I could finally find Kalin!_

_I quickly snapped out of my trace. "Where did all this happen? Where's this duelist?"_

_The man was taking steps back without me realizing. "In one of those rundown cities about an hour or two away from here."_

_"Which one?"_

_The man started laughing in a creepy sort of way. "Why are you so interested, boy?"_

_"Why are you laughing?"_

_Suddenly, the old man took off running._

_"Hey! Wait! I'm not finished with you yet!" I sprinted after him. I tried to keep up, but the man started jolting down dark alleyways. I started to lose track of him. Was I really this out of shape? Did I even know where I was going? "Wait! Stop!"_

_I had to stop running to catch my breath. I completely lost him. Although, it was certainly not a total loss. I had information about where Kalin __presumably was. It would just take sometime to actually find him._

_"Have to go tell Jack and Crow."_

* * *

I had always liked riding around aimlessly on my duel runner. The wind hitting my skin and the feeling of the road beneath my tires never failed to excite my body and mind. Only this time, I was not driving aimlessly. I had a destination and more importantly a mission: find Kalin and bring him home.

Jack, Crow, Bruno and I had gone our separate ways to four small cities in search of our lost friend. I hoped that if I was not able to find Kalin, then one of them would. It was a stroke of luck, maybe fate, that I overheard talk of a duelist who used handless combos. I figured it had to be Kalin. Although, what he was doing in another gang that may have connections to a drug ring was beyond me and made us all very concerned. As long as he was alright, everything else could wait.

I got to my designated city in no time, all thanks to the new duel runner engine and my burning ambition to find Kalin. I slowed down the speed of my runner and looked around at what kind of a city I was driving into. It certainly was a rundown place, just like the old man had said. All the buildings were crumbling, the street roads cracked, the smell of trash filled the air and barely anyone was around. Now this reminded me of past Satellite.

Why in hell would Kalin want to go here?

I stopped my runner tried to figure out where I wanted to do next. Part of me wanted to leave my runner and continue on foot, but I knew that probably was a bad idea. In a place like this, my precious baby would most likely be stolen and stripped for parts. And if this city really was crawling with gang members, it would be mapped out to the block. I decided to slowly drive around to get a good look at the place.

I passed one or two moving cars and a couple of people walking on the side of the road. They all stared. Guess none of these people ever saw a duel runner like mine before. Maybe they were planning to jump me?

After driving around for a little while longer and coming up short, I made my way to a seemingly abandoned building, its roof practically caved in. I looked around to make sure no one had followed me and that no one was occupying the building. I was hesitant about this, but figured it was my only option for now. After making certain that everything was clear, I hid my runner inside the building, locking the wheels so they would not turn and also locking the mainframe so no one could activate it. As even more of a precaution, I left a tracker under the seat. Finally, I changed out of my normal jacket and slipped into a dark pullover sweatshirt. Jack mentioned that people might be able to recognize me after our wins in the WRGP.

I started walking through the streets alone. It was still the middle of the afternoon, but it was eerily quiet. I passed a few more dirty looking people. Luckily, they were not really staring at me like before. Hopefully my runner would be safe where it was. As I was crossing the street, I overheard yet another conversation. Something about a meet up.

Just my luck! I carefully stared following the two guys who were talking a bit too loud for their own good. A thought went through my mind that they were baiting me, but I honestly did not care. Getting closer to any gang at this point could help me find Kalin. I ducked back and watched as the two guys walked down into a subway tunnel. Now this was getting way too much like Satellite for my liking.

I let some time pass before cautiously making my way over to the tunnel. As I descended down the staircase, I did not hear much noise or see any light. Maybe the tunnels were just passageways and not bases. As I walked through, I tried not to make any sound. Until, I finally did see a light down the tunnel and began hearing voices.

"You don't think the cops over there will catch on?" A voice asked.

As soon as I saw three male figures standing together, I halted myself and watched from the shadows. Turns out eavesdropping was becoming a new skill of mine.

"Even if they do, most of them will take bribes." Another voice explained.

"But what if they don't?" The first man asked again.

"Then, we kill them." A deeper, more commanding voice said this time.

The man who talked second laughed. "You're putting a lot of faith in us."

"I finally have a reason to."

Suddenly, a large hand clasped over my mouth and a strong arm wrapped itself around me. I tried to break free, but whoever was able to sneak up behind me was massive and overwhelming in strength. "Hey! Hey! Hey! Caught another rat!"

I was dragged over to the three men, who were all surprised to see someone was watching them converse.

"I thought it was another young bull trying to figure out the boss' plan again, but I don't recognize him. Maybe a spy?" The man holding me threw me on the ground in front of the three men. I grunted and tried to stand up, but the large man put his foot on my back to prevent me from getting up.

The man with the deeper voice knelt down to my level. He too had a Sector Security mark running down the left side of his face and his greasy red hair fell to cover his grey eyes. He could not have been a few years older than me.

"Where do I know your face from?" The man me asked like I had any clue. He forcefully grabbed my hair and lifted my head up. "Hold on a second. Aren't you one of the duelists from the WRGP? On Jack Atlas' team. Yusei Fudo."

My eye twitched when he got my name right. Sometimes I missed being a nobody.

"What in hell are you doing down here? Shouldn't you be riding around on your tricycle playing a children's card game." He smirked. I guess this was his way of trying to intimidate me. Well, too bad for him it was not working.

"Don't you and your whores use the same card game to fight other shitty gangs?" I smirked back. Boy it felt good to curse, even if it was not the smartest move at this point. I never can really curse with Luna and Leo always around.

"Why you little-!" One of the other guys yelled, getting ready to assault me.

"You think we're the same?" The man in front of me cut in. "Oh, Fudo. If only you knew how the real world of dueling worked. Your little tournament is nothing compared to what we've accomplished with dueling."

Here we go again, someone dancing around their point. "Look. I just came here to find someone. Someone who owes me something."

"Oh really. Well, that's too bad." The man smirked. "Normally we get rid of rats pretty quick, but you might be a special exception. I wonder how much Neo Domino City would pay for its champion."

The guy standing on top of me reached down and grabbed me by my arms. He pulled me up and started dragging me off. There was no way I could fight back. This was ending up to not be a smart move on my part. How could I find Kalin if they lock me up?

"Shinigami!" I screamed back at him in a desperate attempt.

"Shut your mouth!" The guy shock my body hard as punishment for screaming.

"Shinigami! Shinigami!"


	3. Locked and Twisted

**Chapter Warning(s): cursing, violence, depression, drug use, suggested abuse, etc.**

**Crash and Burn**

Chapter 2: Locked and Twisted

_Yusei POV_

I was shoved into what looked like a maintenance closet in the subway tunnel. The man escorting me pushed me in further and then reach behind his back to take out a pair of handcuffs. I immediately started resisting, but just like before, the man was too strong for me overcome. He grabbed my arms, pulling and twisting them with harsh force.

"Ahhh! Ah. Fuck."

"You're making this harder on yourself, kid." He pulled at my arms even more, twisting them up behind my back. Soon, I could not take the pain anymore, so I gave in and let my body go limp. The man smirked at my surrender and handcuffed my wrists around a metal pole that was in the closet. "Get comfortable."

The guy left with a grin of satisfaction on his face, locking the door behind him. After catching my breath, I looked around the space I was trapped in. It was pretty much empty, with the only exceptions being a broken control panel on the wall and a rusted bucket on the floor. However, there was light. And not just any light, but sunlight. I looked up and saw a small bit of sky overhead. Then, I realized I was handcuffed to a ladder that lead straight up and out of this hellhole.

I figured a gang that worked in this rundown of a city would not have a proper place to store hostages, but this was just sad. Breaking out of here would be easier than expected. Almost too easy, so long as nobody came in to welcome me.

"I just need to get these handcuffs off." I whispered to myself. I looked back at the bucket. If I could somehow break the metal handle off of it and jam that into the handcuffs, it might be enough to break the locks. Luckily, the bucket was close enough so that I could reach it with my legs. I stretched out and kicked the bucket over. Lo and behold, a screwdriver fell out of it. Even better!

I rolled the screwdriver over to me with my foot. After it stopped directly in front of me, I kicked off my boots and tried picking it up with my feet. Getting it to my hands would be the hard part. I tried reaching my feet up, but my legs were not that flexible. Cons of being a guy. I decided to take the screwdriver into my mouth, then I tossed the tool over my shoulder, hoping it was simply fall into my cuffed hands.

Miraculously, I got a good grip on the handle my very first try. Boy I was turning out to be one lucky bastard! I started jamming the end of the screwdriver into the handcuff's locking system that was on my right wrist. It took a lot of time and pressure to even bend the metal. My wrists were getting sore as the cuffs were digging into my skin. I gave myself a quick break after feeling the cuts turning into gashes and started back up again. The light above me slowly began to fade. Darkness would soon overtake this city. I just hoped that no one would check on me while I was trying to break the handcuffs.

Finally, the cuff I was working on gave and I was able to snap it off. I stood straight up and looked at my wrists. Only a few deep cuts and I would have to deal with the other cuff on my left wrist later. I put the screwdriver in my pocket, slid my boots back on and quickly made my way up the ladder. The darkened sky grew larger as I got closer to the exit. When I finally reached the surface, I glanced around to make sure no one saw me, then took off.

* * *

_Third Person POV_

"I thought I might find you up here. Enjoying the sunset?" The man walked over to the rooftop's edge, meeting the figure he had directed his voice to.

"No." Of course that was the only response he was going to get out of him.

"Well..." This guy he was trying to talk to was like a walking corpse. Suppose after everything he had been through, it was not that much of a surprise. If only he could get a little bit of rage and bloodlust in him, this guy would be an unstoppable force. "You know, I've been having talks with the gang leaders in the city across the river. Plans are coming together for us to merge and infiltrate Neo Domino."

"So."

"So? You know, you're going to be part of the front line, making sure Sector Security doesn't get in the way when we first get there." He brushed his red hair out of his face and stood beside the other guy, who was still blankly staring off at the horizon.

However, he did tense up at the intended plan for him. "You want me to go up against Security?"

"Time to get our revenge on them for marking us both." The slightly older man reached out and caressed the criminal mark of the guy next to him. "Besides, at the state the city is in now, we should be able to take the streets without much trouble. It's time we make a name for ourselves, Shinigami."

He pulled back. "Don't call me that." There was almost a hint of anger in his voice.

The redhead smirked. "You can't stop death and they won't be able to stop you."

"Fuck off." The other guy turned away and quickly got off the rooftop.

Why was he still here? He thought this gang would have killed him months ago. Instead, they turned him into a weapon and he did not put up much of a resistance to the transformation. Either way, he was not strong enough to go against them and leave. This gang would not let him leave, especially now that they had plans for him. And they certainly would not let him withdraw and die.

If only he would have gone back to his friends in the first place...what friends?

He walked into his sad excuse for a room. It was not much, just a dirty mattress on the floor and a wooden crate with a few personal items in it. Plus, it was shared with two, sometimes three other people. Of course, it was about the same as what he had growing up in Satellite. Although, the drugs were new.

"Hey, Kal." He turned around to see some people standing in the hallway. "You coming to shoot up."

He sighed. "Not right now." He did not pay anymore attention to the group of eager faces out in the hall. He simply fell down onto his mattress and stared at the deteriorating wall across from him.

The light once coming through the window disappeared as the sun finally set. He could barely see around his room in the darkness. It reminded him of a different time. A time where darkness like this was more comforting to him. And the figure standing in the doorway would have talked all about destiny and sweet revenge.

"I wasn't done talking to you."

He sat up, getting slightly dizzy from the lack of food, sleep and anything remotely healthy.

"What would you do if someone were to come looking for you?" The voice grew even deeper, like he was trying to be intimidating. Too bad that did not work on him.

Kalin let out a small chuckle, one that was nothing compared to what he had been known for in the past. "No one would come for me. Nobody knows where I am or if I'm even alive at this point."

"Oh really?" The deep voice started to boom through the halls. "Then tell me why someone came to this city today asking for Shinigami?"

"I told you to stop calling me that."

"He called you that. Not me."

"He?"

There was a brief pause. "Someone's looking for you."

"Bullshit."

"Normally, I wouldn't be too concerned about it. I'm not opposed to disposing of rats. But when they're a famous turbo duelist, expected to duel in the WRGP, then it brings up some issues."

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"Yusei Fudo. You got history with him or something? He was here today saying that Shinigami owed him something."

Kalin could not speak. He was lost in utter confusion, but more so denial. He stopped responding to the guys' messages months ago and did not tell anyone where he was going or what he was getting himself into. How the hell did Yusei find out where he was?

"You do have history with him." The redhead was now a bit more concerned. This new revolution had better not get in the way of his plans for undermining Neo Domino City. Hell, maybe he could possibly twist this into an advantage for him, so long as Kalin stayed alive and under his control. "Well, we're just going to hold him for a little while. He might be of some use to us."

"Wait." Kalin was about to get up.

"And just to make sure you stay in line." The older man lunged on top of Kalin and drew out a small needle filled with a toxic substance. Kalin tried to push him off before his assaulter could stab him with the drug of choice, but Kalin was too physically weak. He could not stop the needle from being driven into his upper arm, completely missing his normal vein. However the drug was so potent, it would not matter where you stuck it.

"Ahhh! Damian, you fuck!" Kalin instantly began to feel an all to familiar sensation swell in his body. His mind started to drift off too soon. He felt Damian's weight still on top of him and a cold hand sweep across the side of his face.

"I've got plans for you, Shinigami."


	4. Reunion

**Chapter Warning(s): cursing, violence, mentions of overdose/suicide, etc.**

**Crash and Burn**

Chapter 3: Reunion

_Yusei POV_

I tried to stay hidden for the rest of the night. It was only a matter of time before someone realized I had escaped, if they had not already. Right now, my mind was telling me to get back to my runner and leave this place. However, I had no idea if Kalin was really here or not, and I was not about to leave until I was sure either he was here or not. Against my better judgement, I started searching the city again, attempting to stay out of sight to the best of my abilities. I was trying to figure out which buildings and alleyways this gang used. If Kalin was really part of it, then he would have to be in one of them.

Since I stayed awake all night, I was growing tired and relatively hungry. After not gathering much information about where the gang could be based, I found a secluded spot behind a building, next to a pile of trash of all things, and gave my body a rest. The four-story building blocked the morning sun and shielded me from sight. I tried to not actually fall asleep. The last thing I needed was to wake up to some thugs trying to beat me up. Although, that was not all that hard with my stomach twisting in knots from a lack of anything to eat. I ended up pulling out the screwdriver I had stashed away and fiddled with the handcuff still locked around my wrist. I was able to snap it off with ease, revealing the sore cuts on my skin. The things I did for friendship.

A couple hours must have past by. I still was not fully rested, but I supposed it was good enough to get me moving again. I stood up from the trash pile and my attention was immediately caught by some voices from out in the streets. I could not make out what they were saying, but my intuition was telling me not to get noticed by them. The voices got louder, almost like they were closing in on me.

The only thing I could think to do was run, so that is what I did. I took off behind the buildings and ran away from the voices. I unfortunately tripped over more trash, causing loud crashing sounds to echo through the alleyway. I prayed that nobody heard anything and just kept running. Suddenly, I found myself running into the middle of an open street. The sun burned my eyes and I had no idea where I was now.

"Hey!" I heard a voice yell from down the street. I turned and saw three rough looking men begin charging at me and they even pulled out their duel disks for an attack.

Normally, I would not hesitate my dueling skills against these thugs, but I did not want to draw anymore attention to where I was. The last thing I wanted was more gang members finding me. That and my mind was not in the best state due to the lack of sleep and food. So, I tried to run again.

"Oh no you don't!" One of the men hurled their duel disk at me. It managed to hit me in the shoulder and caused me to stumble over onto the ground.

"Shit." I cursed to myself as I fumbled back to the ground when trying to regain my footing. I could hear them getting closer and thought this was it. I figured might as well put up a fight. Kalin always had. I activated my duel disk against theirs, turned over and drew the first card. "I summon Speed Warrior."

The thugs looked amused at my attempts to duel while still on the ground and summoned monsters much more powerful than mine. I was about to send Speed Warrior head first into the battle, until something interfered. A monster, that was surprisingly familiar to me, entered the duel and took out the thugs monsters in one attack.

I stared at the monster until I could recall its name. "Infernity Destroyer." Suddenly, I glanced beside me and finally saw the man had been searching for. "Kalin!"

He came up to me, grabbed my arm, lifted me off the ground and pulled me away from the fight. "Let's get out of here!"

Kalin seemed to know exactly where he was going as he lead me down a series alleyways and eventually into another abandoned building. I desperately wanted to stop and ask him all the questions that would explain his reasons for being here, but I knew that would have to wait. Kalin dragged me through the building, up a set of stairs and onto the rooftop. He quickly barricaded the doorway to the roof and turned back to me.

"Kalin, I-"

Before I could say anything, Kalin forcefully covered my mouth with his hands and pulled me down below the ledge of the rooftop. He looked mad, but there was something definitely off about him. "You shouldn't be here, Yusei. You should have never came here if your plan was to look for me? How the hell did you even figure out where I was?"

As he was talking, I realized what was wrong with Kalin. His eyes were bloodshot with dark circles underneath. His face was sunken and his skin was extremely pale. His whole body was thin in the most unhealthy of ways. I could feel his hands trembling. This looked like it could have been the Kalin that died in prison, which terrified me.

I pulled Kalin's hands away from my mouth. "We hadn't heard from you in months and had no idea what happened to you. We were worried about you, Kalin. What the hell are you doing here? Are you really part of a gang?"

Kalin slumped back, seemingly exhausted from the run. He stared at the ground, his icy hair now long enough to cover his face. "Fine. When I left Peru, I told Grieger that I was going back to Neo Domino City to see you guys. But, I physically couldn't bring myself to go back. Every time I got one step closer, I wanted to take fifty steps back. I wasn't ready. I wasn't strong enough. I still hated myself...I still do. I made it this far and completely fall apart. I couldn't live with the guilt and the regret and the self-hate and the depression and the nightmares. I found out this city was known for its connections to a major drug ring...so I got as much of the stuff as I could and tried to overdose."

I cut Kalin off by wrapping my arms around him. He did not move in my grasp, but the tears in my eyes certainly did. We never should have let him leave. I knew deep in my heart that something was wrong with him, but I convinced myself that letting him get away for awhile would do him some good. We abandoned Kalin a second time and he was paying the price all over again. "I'm sorry. We never should have let you leave. We should have been there for you. I can't believe we made that mistake again."

"Yusei, stop!" Kalin pushed me back. His tried to glare at me with eyes that had no life in them. "After I survived the overdose, I got addicted to the drug and this gang offered to give me some as long as I dueled for them. Although, they never gave me enough to kill myself. They quickly realized that I had potential to be a weapon for them because of my dueling abilities, so they tightened their grip around me. They won't let me leave and they won't let me die."

"I'm getting you out of here." I told him bluntly.

"Don't be so optimistic."

"Kalin!" I grabbed the back of his neck so he was forced to look at me eye-to-eye. I always thought those golden eyes of his were beautiful, even if they were blackened or lifeless. "Remember when I defeated you as a Dark Signer? I told you that I was trying to save my friend. And when Jack, Crow and I visited you in the hospital, we trying to help you get strong again and to mend our bonds. We wanted to help you then and we still desperately want to help you now."

Kalin looked surprised at what I was saying. "I don't deserve your help or any help for that matter after all the terrible things I've done. I tried to kill you, Yusei. Why don't you do me one last favor and strangle me?"

I slapped Kalin across his face hard when he was dead serious about what he had just asked of me. "Shut up. Just shut up! You got a second chance at life and you're wasting it. You didn't even give us a chance to help you."

"Yusei...I'm sorry." There were tears forming in Kalin's eyes. In all the years I had known him, I had never seen Kalin actually cry before. "Everything was all my fault. I'm sorry that I thought you betrayed me. I'm sorry I went completely insane and tore apart Team Satisfaction. I'm sorry I hated you for so long...and that I went to such great lengths to try and kill you. I'm so sorry."

Kalin and I both put our arms around each other this time. I held onto him so tightly. I wanted my friend back. I wanted my brother back. I knew that Kalin would never again be the same as when we were kids in Satellite, but a broken Kalin trying to recover is better than a dead one. "I told you I forgave you when you apologized at the hospital. Now please come home with me. Jack and Crow are waiting for us."

We both pulled back. Was I changing his mind? Was I getting Kalin back?

Suddenly, there was the sound of clapping coming from across the rooftop that alerted us both. "Well, that was an interesting display."

It was the redheaded man from the tunnel, who pulled at my hair and figured out who I was.

"Damian."

Damian? Kalin knew him. I assumed he was one of the gang leaders by the way those other men acted towards him.

"Now, enough of this bullshit, Kalin. Let me take lock Fudo Yusei back up and we'll get you ready for the next phase of our plan."

"You're plan is never going to work." Kalin stood up, like he was ready to face off against Damian. If only he was stronger. Of course, I am here to back him up. "Even if you have me dueling for you, you're going to fail."

"Ha! And what makes you say that, Kal?"

"Because I know somebody who once tried to go up against Sector Security like how you're planning to, and let me tell you something, it didn't turn out well for him. Besides, there are a lot of forces stronger than Security fighting to keep Neo Domino City safe."

"Where the hell is this all coming from, Kal?" Damian looked genuinely surprised at how Kalin was acting, and so I was. "I thought you were a numb bitch, who would lie down and take it after shooting up."

Kalin's face was stone cold, but not lifeless. "Remember when I showed you the power of Dark Synchro Summoning?"

What the fuck! Kalin can still dark synchro summon!

"You were so impressed by my dragon and how I almost killed somebody with its power in my handless combo. Well, now it's your turn to face."

Damian took a few steps back as Kalin reached for his duel disk and drew three cards. With the activation of a spell card, Infernity Dwarf and Dark Tuner-Nightmare Hand were instantly summoned, the same two monsters Kalin used against me when I first saw him dark synchro summon. Wait...could dark synchro monsters be absorbed by the Meklord Emperors?

"When the curtain of darkness comes down, the eyes of the underworld will open. Swoop down, darkness! Dark Synchro! Show yourself, Hundred Eyes Dragon!"


	5. Ride Free

**Chapter Warning(s): cursing, violence, etc.**

**Crash**** and Burn**

Chapter 4: Ride Free

_Yusei POV_

"Hundred Eyes Dragon." I said in disbelief. That dark synchro monster was a weapon for the Dark Signers. How did Kalin still have the ability to summon it?

"Hang on, Kal! What the fuck do you think you're doing?" Damian screamed, taking a few steps back as Hundred Eyes towered over him. "After everything I did for you, bastard!"

"You should have known better once people started calling me Shinigami." Kalin stated bluntly.

I watched as Hundred Eyes opened its jaw. I immediately knew what was going to happen. My mind flashed back to my first turbo duel with Kalin, when he summoned that beast against me. "Kalin, wait! Don't do this!"

He did not seem to hear my calls. Kalin looked hellbent on finishing this Damian off, but at what cost? "Hundred Eyes Dragon!"

Dark flames began to appear inside of the monster's mouth. It was happening all over again. Kalin was trying to take out someone who had abused him and I had this overwhelming feeling to stop him. If Kalin was going to recover from all of his trauma and redeem himself for his past mistakes, killing this man now would only make things worse. "Kalin, stop!"

I sprinted towards him, wanting to stop my friend from making another horrid mistake. I lunged at Kalin and brought him down to the ground. The dragon held off its assault. I could feel Kalin push against me as I laid on top of him. Another impulse was over taking me.

"Yusei, what-" Kalin was cut off by me pressing my lips against his.

I kept my eyes closed, not wanting to see his reaction to this. I missed Kalin so much. There was a time when I thought I wanted him this way. Maybe that could still happen or maybe that was all in the past. What I did now was more so a desperate attempt to knock my friend out of his rage before he did something he might later regret and to show Kalin that I really did care about him.

Suddenly, a hand pushed my throat back and I opened my eyes. Kalin looked pissed. "Hundred Eyes Dragon...end this."

Dark flames blew up on the rooftop.

Hell knows what happened to Damian, but Kalin and I began falling as the building collapsed around us. I held onto Kalin's arm in a death grip as rubble and debris flashed before my eyes. The next few moments were a bit of a blur, literally. There was so much smoke and dust I could hardly see. Suddenly, my body slammed down against something hard and I was thrown into a daze.

I wonder how Jack, Crow and Bruno are doing. Hopefully faring better than I was.

Something started tugging at me, pulling up and dragging me off somewhere. I had no idea what was going on. I honestly forgot where I even was at this point.

"Yusei. Yusei!"

I knew that voice.

"Yusei, get up!"

I opened my eyes and saw Kalin holding onto me. He was covered in dirt. That's right. "Kalin? What happened?"

"Forget it. You have to get out of here." Kalin started coughing into his arm.

"So do you." I pulled myself back together and stood on my own two feet. I reached for my shoulder in pain. I must have fallen on my right side during the collapse. "I hid my runner a few blocks away, I think."

Kalin huffed, looking defeated. "Fine."

Kalin and I started walking or more so stumbling through the city streets. I was surprised that nobody was coming after us. Then again, the explosion back there probably drew in a big crowd. After venturing a bit, I miraculously recognized the street we were going down and tried to reorient myself. "I'm pretty sure it's in a collapsed building on the next block over."

"Okay." Kalin said. I could tell he was pushing himself and in truth so was I. I felt a cut on my shoulder begin to bleed out. "We better hurry."

Once the building was in my sights, I picked up the pace and even tried running. Heaven forbid if someone had found my precious baby and stolen it. I had been gone for awhile. Kalin and I walked into the building and I immediately went for the hiding spot.

Thank the Crimson Dragon my runner was still there, undisturbed and fully functional. I unlocked the wheels and mainframe, took out my helmet and the spare I kept under the seat, tossing it to Kalin. I noticed that he was hesitating in putting it on. There was no way I was dealing with this shit now. I swore I was going to come home with Kalin, even if I had to knock him unconscious and drag him back myself.

"Put the fucking helmet on and get on the bike!" I yelled at him. I could see that he was taken back by my demand and the anger fueling it. I normally only snapped at Jack and Crow like that. Suppose neither of us were in a sound state of mind at the present moment.

Kalin followed the order and got on the runner behind me, carefully holding onto my waist. I immediately revved the engine and pushed the bike to its limits. In an instance, we were speeding through the streets of the deteriorating city, reaching the edge fairly quick. As we started driving through the countryside without any indication of being followed, I took a deep breath of relief and sighed.

I did it.

I somehow managed to get Kalin back. After months of worrying, I finally had him with me and, sorry to say for him, but there was no way I was letting him go this time. I glanced behind me to see Kalin staring of in the distance. He was probably in shock after what had just happened...after what he did. Hard to blame him for that. But now, we could finally begin again.

* * *

_Jack POV_

I had been riding through this small city for hours, without any signs of gang activity. If Kalin was here, he was doing a really good job of hiding. Then again, what was to say Yusei did not make the whole thing up. There was an idea in the back of my mind that Yusei only heard what he desperately wanted to hear and sent us out on a wild goose chase.

Do not get me wrong, I wanted Kalin back as much...if not more than he did. However, this idea that Yusei just so happened to overhear talk of a duelist who used Infernity monsters and a handless combo is completely absurd. I beat that it was his mind playing tricks on him. After all the stress and sleepless nights he had due to the WRGP and Ghost, it would not surprise me if he was going crazy.

Great! Another leader of mine losing his mind.

Still, what else was there to do? During my ride around this place, I tired to convince myself that we would never see or even hear from Kalin again. It was a bit extreme, but knowing Kalin, it could be very much the truth. It was also a painful realization to admit. It personally took me months to get over Kalin's death the first time around and I did not want to go through that grief again.

He begged me to let him go with Grieger. Kalin broke down in front of me saying he needed to get out of the city and away from Satellite. I suppose he did that in front of me because he knew I would understand and make Yusei and Crow okay with letting him go. It was may fault this time Kalin left us. Why do I always push away the people I care for the most?

Just then, I received a call on my screen from Bruno. The poor sap does not even know what Kalin looks like and Yusei still managed rope him into this problem. Then again, Bruno would do almost anything for Yusei.

_Jack!_

He immediately screamed over the call.

"What is it, Bruno?" I asked.

_I just went to check the trackers on everybody's runners and Yusei's is headed back to Neo Domino City!_

Bruno said in a rush. Yusei was heading back? Did he find Kalin or did something else happen? "Seriously? Did you call him?"

_I can't. He's too far away from where I am. Do you think that we should head back too?_

Bruno asked of me. It only took me a moment to think about. "Probably. Can you let Crow know?"

_That I can do. I'll see you back at the garage then._

"Alright." I ended the call and immediately swung my runner around, headed back home at top speed.

Yusei, did you really find Kalin or am I getting my hopes up for nothing?

* * *

_AN: After 5D's Month 2020, I decided I wanted to go back and work on some of the stories that I had left unfinished. For this story in particular, I came up with new ideas and have written three additional chapters, with more to added later. This story original was intended as a kind of "passion project", where I wouldn't really care what the comments were, I just wanted to write it for my own sanity. I hope to continue that until I feel __satisfied with its conclusion. Some things that I recently added to the new chapters are Treason, Regent & Toolshipping (gotta find someone for Crow!), an additional antagonist for later on and a few other small things. Hopefully someone out there can enjoy this mess of a story as much as I enjoyed writing it._


	6. Home Sweet Garage

**Chapter Warning(s): cursing, mentions of suicide, depression, drug use, etc.**

**Crash and Burn**

Chapter 5: Home Sweet Garage

_Yusei POV_

When the garage finally came into view, I felt extremely relieved. I had been driving nonstop after fleeing the city that I had taken Kalin away from. I was injured and in pain from the explosion Hundred Eyes Dragon caused under Kalin's command, but knew we would not be safe until we got back to Neo Domino City. Kalin had been quiet the whole ride home and it was not hard for me to understand why.

I realized now that it would take a lot of work and support for us to help Kalin get better. He admitted to attempting an overdose and now was addicted to whatever drug that gang put into his system. If only saving him now could be as easy as winning a duel.

I pulled up to the garage, got off my bike and lifted open the metal door. Nobody else was home. I probably should have called Jack, Crow and Bruno to let them know I had Kalin back at the garage. But before I did that, I needed to make sure Kalin was stable and that he would not suddenly disappear on me. I looked back and watched Kalin climb off of my runner. This was the first time Kalin had ever been in the garage. I walked back to him and started wheeling my runner inside.

"Hey, Kalin. Are you feeling okay?" At first, he did not respond to my question. Kalin just stood there lifeless.

"I don't know." He finally spoke, removing the helmet. "I don't know what to feel."

"Listen, Kalin." I put my hand on his shoulder. "I know that things are really intense for you right now, but I'm here for you. Why don't we get cleaned up so we can talk...for real this time."

Kalin sighed. I guess he realized that resisting me was not an option. "Okay."

I led Kalin through the garage and upstairs to the bathroom that we all shared. Once inside, I handed him a towel. Then I noticed how torn up and dirty his clothes were, with pants and a long sleeve shirt that were practically falling apart at the seams. I went into Jack's room and stole a pair of jeans and a teeshirt for him, figuring the two of them were close enough in size.

Once again, Kalin was hesitating to take what I was offering him. "Take them."

Kalin reached out for the clothes, without saying a word. I watched him carefully as he took off his own clothes and brushed at the dirt and soot covering his body. It was then I saw how thin he actually was. Kalin's pale skin held tight against his bones. Scars and scratches mapped out his back, arms and legs. There was a thick scar on his right forearm...where the mark of the giant once was.

I wanted to hold Kalin, like how I did when he died in my arms.

I shook my head to stop myself from staring. I had to be strong for him. I slid off my own sweatshirt, revealing the gash I had obtained when falling from that building. I probably should have turned around because as I touched my shoulder, I heard Kalin quietly gasp. Great! Another thing that he will no doubt hate himself for. The cut was not even that deep. I quickly rinsed off the dried blood and dirt.

After all was done, Kalin and I went back down into the garage. I offered him something to eat or drink when we passed by the kitchenette, but he turned down the offer.

"I'm gonna send a message to Jack, Crow and Bruno, letting them know that we're here." I told Kalin as I pulled out my phone. "They were out looking for you too. Bruno is a new friend of ours that lives with us. He's a really great mechanic."

Kalin looked awkward and uncomfortable standing in the middle of the garage, not sure what to do with himself. Maybe I should apologize for kissing him or reassure him that he could call this place his home.

"You shouldn't have come for me."

Of course when he finally spoke that was what he would say. "Stop talking like that, Kalin. I told you I forgave you. We've all been worried sick about you and we want our friend back."

Kalin's golden eyes were filled with pain as he tried to look at me face to face. "He doesn't exist anymore."

"What?" I went to him, put my hands on his shoulders as Kalin tore himself apart.

"Yusei..." He started to tear up. "Even if you have truly forgiven me for everything that I did, that doesn't mean I forgave myself. I still hate myself and you bringing me back here is not going to change that."

"I want to help you."

"I don't deserve it."

"Stop it!" I almost slapped him again. Kalin's stubbornness was really getting on my nerves now. "Right now what we all want for you trumps what you think you deserve. Kalin you got a second chance at life. Don't waste it. You can redeem yourself if you just-"

"Damn it, Yusei! I'm beyond saving."

* * *

_Kalin POV_

Yusei, why did you come find me and bring me back here? I was so close to finally dying...for good this time. Why can you not understand that I hate myself and that I am not worth saving. After everything I did, especially against you, I had no right to return to life after my defeat. Yet here I am, wondering the world half dead looking for a nice little spot to end it all. I did not mean to get involved in that gang. My body got hooked on the drugs after I failed to overdose and they took hold of me. Not sure how I even had the strength to duel for them in the first place. I suppose the duel still possesses me, just like how the darkness had before.

Just then, the garage door began to open to another familiar face.

"Kalin!"

"Crow?" He ran over and threw his arms around me, almost pulling me to the floor. I used to be strong.

Crow was burying his face and sobbing into Jack's shirt that I was wearing. "Where the hell were you? We were all so worried about you after you stopped answering our messages. Don't you ever do something like that again!"

What could I say? I did not deserve this concern and attention. Maybe they all really did want me back...but that could never happen. Not after what I did, all the sins I committed. "I'm sorry, Crow."

The birdbrain started smiling, like he was actually happy to see me. "But you're here now, so everything is going to be okay. What were you doing way out there?"

"It's a lot to explain." I did not want to repeat everything that happened. I just wanted it all to end. I was so tired. Why did they still seem to care about me? Just leave me like you did before!

"Why don't we wait for Jack to get back too, then we can all talk." Yusei spoke instead.

Jack. Maybe I could convince him to let me out of here? I always had this connection with Jack that was different from those with Yusei or Crow. He and I used to sit up for hours, not speaking a word to each other. Just enjoying each other's company. Jack was also the first one to let me go before, when I needed to escape from Satellite.

As if on queue, two more runners pulled up into the garage. I did not recognize the guy on the small yellow bike, but the bright white Wheel of Fortune immediately grabbed my attention. I watched Jack get off of his runner and make his way over to me. I braced myself, not wanting him to put his arms on me like Crow had, but that was what he seemed to be doing. "Kalin. You're actually here."

I held my breath as Jack pulled me in. He whispered into my ear. "I'm sorry I let you go."

Shit. So much for getting out of here. Maybe I might die from the withdraw that was bound to happen if I stayed. I did not know what to say anymore. I felt like I wanted to scream and runaway. When Jack finally let go of me, I pushed his hands away, earning a look of disappointment from him. Thankfully, someone else chimed in to break the tension.

"Hi, Kalin. I'm Bruno, Yusei, Jack and Crow's new roommate." The tall, blue haired man smiled in my direction, although I could sense his hesitation and guard being put up against me. Why did Yusei bring me back if I already was replaced by this guy? He seemed like a better friend to all of them than I ever was.

"Yusei just told me about you, Bruno." I managed to say. It was so hard trying to put on a fake, lame-assed smile for some bastard I did not even know.

Bruno smiled. "It's nice to finally meet you. Yusei, Jack and Crow have told me a lot about you as well. I'm glad to meet somebody else who can deal with these three besides Martha."

"Hey!" I heard Crow yell.

"So what were you doing out in that city, Kalin?" Jack quickly took control of the conversation.

I was hesitating to speak. I did not ask for this. "I...I couldn't bring myself to come back."

No! Stop it! Do not break down here! You do not deserve their pity or concern! Runaway! Runaway from them! Run off their bridge! Stop!

I felt Jack put his arms around me again. It turned out that I was trembling and tearing up. Maybe from the drug being withdrawn for more than a day or maybe because I was facing my old team, the family I had gravely wronged. Suddenly, two more bodies were beside me, holding me up.

I did not deserve this!


	7. Withdraw

**Chapter Warning(s): cursing, depression, mentions of drug use, fictional depiction of withdraw symptoms, etc.**

**Crash and Burn**

Chapter 6: Withdraw

_Jack POV_

Kalin was to stay in my room since Bruno already claimed Yusei's floor and Crow's room was just a closet with a window. I did not object and actually felt relieved that he was staying with me. I knew I was the only one that could give Kalin tough love, when all Yusei and Crow wanted to do was swaddle him. But there was another more serious reason why I wanted to keep a close eye on him.

If Kalin was really hooked on hardcore drugs, then his impending withdraw was going to be a bitch to deal with. Hopefully we were all up for the challenge.

"Hey guys." Bruno called to us from his favorite spot by the computers. "I think you should take Kalin to the hospital."

"There's no way he would let us take him to a hospital when he doesn't even want to be here." Crow told him. We were not complete strangers to the effects of drugs. Growing up in Satellite, you would see a lot of people selling themselves out, then crying in pain because they could not get enough for their next high. If Kalin seemed more willing, we would have gladly taken him to a hospital. But there was slim chance at that.

"We can handle things here." Yusei said with slight hesitation in his voice.

"Are you sure?" Bruno asked, concerned for the man he just met. Or maybe he was more concerned for us. "Just come look at all of the possible symptoms. Things could get really bad if he isn't watched over by medical professionals."

"Bruno, we know." I finally spoke. "If things go south we'll take him to a hospital, but right now we're keeping him here."

My heart broke when Yusei told Crow and I everything that went down in that city while trying to rescue Kalin. We should have been there for him from the beginning, but we abandoned him. Still, we are all here now trying to help him, even if Kalin say he does not want to be with us. He is so broken.

The world outside of the garage disappeared. The only thing that mattered to us was helping Kalin start his recovery. I knew it would be tedious and painful. I could not remember the last time I wanted to help someone so badly. Yusei, Crow and I decided to take turns watching over Kalin as he stayed in my room. Bruno offered to go out and get supplies if we needed anything. Thinking back to all of the challenges I have faced, this one was already in the running to be the worst and most difficult one to overcome.

I was sitting at the edge of my bed, watching Kalin sleep in the spot where I normally did. Escaping from that city and the gang that controlled him sure did take a lot out of him. I really wanted him to eat something before be fell to sleep, but he kept refusing. I almost had to carry him upstairs to get him into bed. I forgot how stubborn Kalin could be.

"Do you need anything, Jack?" I heard Yusei ask from the doorway.

I sighed. "I don't think so. He seems completely out."

"Well, he hasn't started snoring yet." I could see that Yusei was forcing himself to smile. He was never one to fight pain with humor or sarcasm. He must be tired too.

"Right. It's been years since the four of us have slept under the same roof. Why don't you get some rest too?"

Yusei hesitated in leaving. The poor bastard want to be by Kalin's side round the clock. Yusei always put others before himself. "Alright." He slowly left and went to his own room.

I started to feel on edge. How long would it take for things to get bad? It would have helped if Kalin how told us how long he had been using and how much he normally took. Bruno estimated about a week for the whole thing to play out, based on what he researched. However, getting the drug out of Kalin's system was only the first step in a long path of recovery. I decided to lay down next to Kalin, but not completely falling asleep.

I stared at Kalin's face as he slept. His cheeks were sunken in and he looked ghostly pale. His Security mark was a prominent feature on his face. The person laying next to me was a shell of the man we all once looked up to. Maybe somewhere behind those dull golden eyes the Kalin we all fell in love with was still there...hopefully.

My mind started drifting off, thinking back to the days we were trying to revive by helping him.

Sometime later, I woke up to the sound of Kalin breathing heavy. I looked over to see him sitting up, drenched in sweat and holding his chest in obvious pain. Suddenly, he went to cover his mouth and groaned. I reached out to him, remembering the long list of withdraw symptoms, and brought him into the bathroom. "It's okay, Kalin. Get it out of your system."

Kalin fell to the floor, hung his head over the edge of the toilet and started intensely vomiting. The sound of him retching almost made me want to throw up as well. I managed to fight the gut reflex and went to push the mess that was his hair out of his face.

"Jack?" I looked up and saw Yusei standing in the doorway, looking terrified at what was finally unfolding.

Crow's bedroom opened behind him as well. "What's going on?"

"I got it, guys." I noticed Kalin start to tremble. His hands were especially shaking beyond control. "Just-just go back to bed."

"Jack, we can help." Yusei began stepping towards us.

"Get out!" We were all taken back by Kalin's screaming. "Get the fuck out!"

Crow pulled Yusei back into the hallway and shut the bathroom door, so it was just Kalin and I again.

"Jack. Please...please let me go." Kalin was begging, just like he had before. "I don't want to be here. Let me out!"

I grabbed onto his shoulders incase Kalin tried anything. "I'm sorry, but I can't let you go again."

"Jack..."

"You want to die so badly, then stay here and let the withdraw finish you out." Fuck! I immediately regretting saying that. Remember I was tough love, not comfort. "Just-just try to hold on, okay? You've beaten death once before, so you can do it again. Isn't that why they called you Shinigami?"

Kalin collapsed into my grasp from the pain. I did not know what else to do, but simply be there for him. Is that really all we could do?

* * *

_Crow POV_

Jack had just spent the past couple of hours watching Kalin while he withdrew. Now, it was my turn. Unbeknownst to Yusei and Jack, this was not the first time I had helped a drug addict withdraw. When I first met Robert Pearson, he was struggling to kick an addiction to painkillers. He wanted to better help take care of the kids in Satellite and knew getting clean was the only way of doing so.

Of course, Kalin was suffering from more than just the need for pills.

I was sitting on Jack's bed with Kalin, our backs up against the wall. Kalin had just finished another round of what we started to referring to as attacks, when he lost control and suffered the worst of symptoms. He was still in pain, switching from bouts of fever and chills. I thought maybe getting him something to eat would help, but he probably would just threw it all up anyways.

"Kalin?"

He did not respond.

"I was thinking, maybe when this is all over, you could watch us duel in the WRGP when it starts up again?" I did not know what else to say. I hated the silence in the air between us. Even though it was Kalin's fault Team Satisfaction broke apart, and he admits that, I was still the spark that set everything ablaze by leaving the team first.

I noticed Kalin begin to hunch over. His body started shaking again and I heard him gasp for a breath. Here we go again. I gently pushed Kalin down onto the bed so that he was laying on his side. I watched his muscles go into a tremor so intense I swore I could feel it in my own body. I did not want to imagine the pain he was in.

I simply rubbed his shoulders, hoping I was doing something right for him.

* * *

_Yusei POV_

Kalin's withdraw was going on its third day, with the three of us taking turns watching over him. It seemed like every time an attack finished, he got a minute to breath then another one started up again. It got to the point where I think he was delusional. Bruno kept insisting on taking Kalin to the hospital, but we never did. Funny, I actually got Kalin to drink something while he was in one of those delusions. Of course he threw it up an hour later. Jack's sheets were completely drenched in his sweat and we had already cleaned the bathroom twice. I had never seen another human being, let alone Kalin Kessler, this deteriorated in health before. It felt like this nightmare was never going to end.

Apparently Akiza and the twins stopped by at one point, but Crow immediately told them to leave. I had completely forgotten about Team 5D's and Iliaster. I know it was bad to say that they did not matter to me right now, but it was the truth.

I was with Kalin in the bathroom again. We did not talk much. I suppose he already said everything he wanted to say to me back in that other city. I wondered what would have happened to him if I had not been there when I was. That gang had some sort of plan to use Kalin, just like the Dark Signers did.

Suddenly, he started to stand up.

"What are you doing?" I followed suit and held onto him for support.

"I couldn't sit on that fucking tile anymore." Kalin whispered, putting his hands on the sink counter for stability. It was then he looked up and came face to face with his own reflection. "Holy shit."

He looked terrified of his appearance, with all of the marks covering his body that held painful memories. "Kalin, you're sick. Just please lay back down."

Kalin turned his head down and I immediately saw tears running off of his face. "I'm so sorry!"

He collapsed onto the floor, crying his eyes out. I got on my knees and saw the bathroom door open out of the corner of my eye. "Did something happen?" I heard Jack ask, but I kept my attention on Kalin.

"It's okay, Kalin. You're going to be okay. Just try to breathe. Breathe."


End file.
